Starting July 1, the nation’s three credit reporting agencies will remove and exclude tax liens and civil debts if creditors can't verify the names, addresses, birthdates, and Social Security Numbers associated with them.

Now is the time to rein in paying for things with plastic. But no matter how many times you’ve said you were going to stop, you haven’t. Here are four practical, real ways you can manage your credit card spending.

While these programs may indeed benefit certain individuals, bear in mind that there are strict eligibility criteria, not only at application, but throughout your loan term. And, no one ever mentions the big tax that might be waiting for you at the end.

Across the many types of student loan forgiveness programs, there are three distinct buckets of people who can benefit: public servants, teachers, and everyone else. Most of you will fall in the third bucket.